Some four months after the massive March 11 earthquake and tsunami wreaked havoc in Japan, killing more than 15,500 people, much remains to be done. Church World Service continues to work with Japanese partners to assist families and individuals impacted by the disaster. More than 197,000 people from Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures continue to live as evacuees.

This bulletin covers 64 countries over the period April to June 2011 (Q2-2011).1 In addition to looking at changes and trends in staple food prices and the cost of the food basket, this issue also examines trends in fuel prices, terms of trade (ToT) and consumer price index (CPI) at country level.

Reports of Bangladesh, Belarus, Israel,
Kenya, Lichtenstein, Sri Lanka and South Africa to be Reviewed

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
Against Women, the Committee charged with ensuring that 186 States parties
meet their obligations under a treaty that requires them to eliminate discrimination
against women, opens its forty-eighth session next week at the Palais des
Nations in Geneva.

During January, approximately 1,200 people
were arrested in a nationwide crackdown on 'irregular migrants' by the
government, following demonstrations against the detention and subsequent
deportation of a radical Islamist cleric, Abdullah al-Faisal.

According to the Refugee Consortium of
Kenya (RCK), a JRS partner, arrested migrants, mainly ethnic Cushitic Ethiopians
and Somalis, were charged with illegal presence and a lack of adequate
documentation.

John Holmes, United Nations Under-Secretary-General
for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefed journalists
this afternoon in Geneva following a mid-year review conference with Member
States on the status of the 2009 consolidated humanitarian appeals. Mr.
Holmes was joined by Gregory Starr, Under-Secretary-General for Safety
and Security and Misikir Tilahun, the Head of Programmes for the non-governmental
organization Africa Humanitarian Action, who also responded to questions.

"Service provision in Kakuma camp
needs to be scaled up to meet the needs of the refugee population",
JRS Eastern Africa Director, Frido Pflueger SJ, told Dispatches on 24 April.

Given the expected arrival of large numbers
of Somali refugees and the increasing heterogeneity of the camp population,
JRS is actively taking steps to scale up service provision in the camp
in northwestern Kenya.

YOKOHAMA -The United Nations World
Food Programme today welcomed a generous aid package totalling US$47.59
million from the Japanese Government to assist refugees, internally displaced
persons and other vulnerable groups in nine countries in Africa and Asia.

This contribution gives special attention
to peace building in Africa, with three-quarters of the total package,
US$36.22 million, allocated to six African countries affected by conflict:

President Bush made $5.215 million available
from the U.S. Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund (ERMA) to
meet unexpected urgent refugee and migration needs resulting from the conflicts
in Somalia and Sri Lanka. This funding will provide protection and assistance
in the form of food, blankets, shelter, hygiene kits, and other basic items,
as well as water, sanitation, emergency medical services and health care,
and other community services for victims of the conflicts in Somalia and
Sri Lanka.

Each week, the World Health Organization
Department for Health Action in Crises in Geneva produces information highlights
on the health aspects of selected humanitarian crises. Drawing on the various
WHO programmes, contributions cover activities from field and country offices
and the support provided by WHO regional offices and Headquarters.

(Extract)
GOAL currently employs 175 GOALies who
work alongside over 2,500 local staff to implement humanitarian programmes
in 15 countries. GOALies include country directors, project managers, accountants,
nurses, doctors, nutritionists, administrative personnel and engineers.
GOAL's programmes target the poorest of the poor and people suffering the
effects of war and/or natural disaster.

Dispatches is a fortnightly e-mail bulletin
of the JRS International Office. It features refugee news briefings, information
from our people in the field, policy issues, JRS vacancies and spiritual
reflections.

REFUGEE NEWS BRIEFINGS

KENYA: CROWDED CLASSES IN KAKUMA CAMP

According to a survey published in June
by the UN inter-agency Education Co-ordination Team schools in Kakuma refugee
camp continue to experience severe overcrowding.

Kenya - Serious nutrition situation
in Turkana district - Contrary to expectations before the onset of
the short rainy season, rains were poor in the marginal agricultural districts
in Eastern, Coast and Central provinces, which has led to maize crop failure.
In some districts of these provinces, the nutrition situation was not critical
as of October 2004 but the poor last rainy season may worsen the situation.

Wednesday, 8 October 2003: UNDP,
with support from Sweden, will work with communities in five countries
on innovative ways, such as using wind and solar energy, to improve water
supplies and sanitation.